In the spirit of Christmas, and always ones to make a link between all things and branding we’ve subjected Santa Claus to our “7Es of brand” to see how he measures up:
❄️ Essence
This is the “raison d’etre” for the consumer, what we would call the heart and soul of the brand, and he has a pretty clear cut proposition – giving gifts to the deserving. But it’s also that feeling that he inspires – the wonder and excitement in the build up to Christmas. That magical moment of creeping down the stairs, heart in mouth “have I been good enough?” to find the longed for gift under the tree.
❄️ Experience
Every experience to do with Santa is magical – from visiting his grotto to preparing for his arrival on Christmas Eve. Can you imagine the disappointment if you tried to tell him your Christmas list and he wasn’t really listening? Or you spend hours painstakingly composing the perfect Santa letter and you get a reply – but it was a scrappy note on a dirty piece of paper? Your whole feeling around Santa would be jaded and you might even start to doubt your loyalty towards him.
❄️ Emotion
We would defy anyone to find a character that has more of an emotional connection with his audience than Santa. He inspires hope and satisfies a need in children to believe that there is good in the world and that if they just believe then things will work out for the best.
❄️ Evolution
Santa has definitely evolved to keep up with the times. From Saint Nicholas, the 3rd century Greek Bishop and patron saint of children, through to the Coca Cola red suited, white bearded Santa Claus we love now, he has undergone many transformations and guises along the way, but has always been relevant to the times.
❄️ Enduring
Well he started out in the 3rd century so we’d say that’s pretty good going for endurance. Not to mention the endurance required to circle the world in one night!
❄️ Execute
We have it on authority that Santa walks his talk and his magical reputation is not just a marketing ploy – he treats everyone in the North Pole exactly as he does his worldwide audience. And he definitely executes his present delivering strategy.
❄️ Equity
We can define the value of a brand through 3 elements:
- differential effect – well no one can touch him on that
- brand knowledge – who doesn’t know about Santa?
- Consumer response – phenomenal
I think we can safely say that Santa Claus knows a thing or two about branding.
So our advice to you – ho ho ho and BE MORE SANTA!
While we can’t claim to have been Santa’s branding strategy consultants we do know a thing or two about branding so if you’d like to know how we can help you create a brand that is as successful as Santa check out our Services page. Merry Christmas!
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